Family Survival Farm-Blog. Survival, homesteading and more: The Importance Of Water Storage

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Monday, October 2, 2017

The Importance Of Water Storage

By Forest Puha

As of this writing,
I’m watching the residents of Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane
Maria and search around their areas for fresh water to drink. Federal
aid workers and rescue squads of all types are gradually coming into
the island, but with electrical power lines broken and roadways
cluttered with debris, help is slow in coming. This article will
cover some points about storing water that I think can be useful in
your home.

Analyze how many
people you have in your immediate family. You should have at least
one gallon of water per person, more in hot weather or depending on
personal needs. FEMA emergency guidelines say to have enough for
three days at minimum, for both drinking and basic sanitation. I have
a couple of clear five-gallon plastic jugs that supplies my family
with the minimum amount of water. These jugs are available in your
local grocery or retail store for relatively cheap, and to refill
them in-store can be done for a couple of dollars.

These are
common and found everywhere. Get ones with screw on caps.

It’s also a good idea to buy a pallet of commercially bottled
water and store it in a cool and dark place.

These pallets are good for both storing in your car and
at home, but not as reusable as a larger jug.

If you have your own containers to store water in, make sure you
completely wash them out with regular dish washing soap, hot water,
and a teaspoon of unscented chlorine bleach. Seal and shake them up
before emptying and rinsing out. This will help kill any bacteria
growing inside the bottles and caps and keep you from getting sick.

When you run out of stored water, there are also a number of ways
you can purify water around you. Make sure any water you intend to
drink comes from a reasonably clean source. Sealed water heaters are
your best bet for potable water with minimal treatment. Once that’s
done, you can treat your water in the following ways:

Boiling: usually the
safest and most common method of making drinking
water. In a large stove pot or tea kettle (even better if it’s
copper for additional antibacterial properties) cover the pot or
kettle with a lid and bring the water to a boil for at least a
minute. Let it cool to the touch before drinking or storing, as
excess heat will burn skin and melt plastic.

Chlorinating: only
unscented
household liquid bleach with a minimum of 5.25
percent sodium hypochlorite will kill organisms inside the water and
make it safe to drink. The rule of thumb is to add 16 drops, or about
1/8 of a teaspoon of bleach, per gallon of water. Shake well and let
it work for half an hour. The water will smell slightly of bleach,
and that’s perfectly normal. If it doesn’t, repeat the dosage and
let it stand for another 30 minutes. If you still don’t smell the
bleach, it’s beyond the ability of bleach to sterilize it. And
remember: ONLY unscented household liquid bleach will work for
drinking. Don’t use scented bleach, sprays or any other substance
that may harm you when ingested.

Chlorine tablets also work well too. Use as directed.

Distillation: this process involves collecting the water vapor
that condenses from boiling. The condensed vapor is usually rid of
bacteria through the process. A quick way to distill is to angle a
metal or glass baking sheet above the spout of a tea kettle, so that
the rising steam will collect and drip down the inside of the baking
sheet into a bowl or cup below as the kettle whistles. There are many
ways to distill water with a boiling method, and all are useable in a
situation with no electricity.

From the National Self Reliance Association. How to build a small water still. Salt water can be substituted with the cleanest water you can find for distilling.

In an emergency,
water is life and the key to survival. Make sure you have enough on
hand to last you for as long as the emergency lasts, and you’ll be
able to think straight and tackle any other problems that come your
way.